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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24577768">Your Own Pace</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dream_Traveler_Kirvee/pseuds/Dream_Traveler_Kirvee'>Dream_Traveler_Kirvee</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Established Relationship, First Kiss, Idiots in Love, Introspection, Kissing, M/M, intimacy issues</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 04:53:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,091</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24577768</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dream_Traveler_Kirvee/pseuds/Dream_Traveler_Kirvee</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Touma lets Haruka take their relationship as he does everything else--at his own pace.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Inumaru Touma/Isumi Haruka</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Your Own Pace</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So last night I thought of this and this morning it was still around, so I did what any sensible person does: I wrote it lmao.</p><p>Yaaaay first actual contribution to my OTP's tag!!! Enjoy the food!!! It's not much, but it's something.</p><p>No betas, we die like men.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hey, Touma, could we—can we try…kissing?”</p><p>It had been a simple, impulsive question that escaped Haruka before he could even really stop it, but once it was out it was out so he couldn’t exactly take it back. Touma had, of course, heard him and agreed with such a bright, hopeful expression that now Haruka really couldn’t back down.</p><p>To be clear, it’s not that he doesn’t <em>want</em> to kiss Touma. Because he does. Very much so. It’s just that, well, intimacy issues are a bitch. But Touma is a patient, thoughtful boyfriend and not for the first time Haruka thinks about how damn lucky he is for that. To have someone who actually <em>cares</em>.</p><p>So that’s what led them here, on Touma’s sofa. Haruka, in a moment of boldness that required a monumental effort of psyching up, straddled Touma’s lap and then instantly froze up. What was he supposed to do now? He couldn’t get off, that would be…embarrassing. Should he just go for it? Were they supposed to say something beforehand? Had he missed a step somewhere? Thoughts like that swirled like a storm in his head and kept him frozen in place, hands on the front of Touma’s shoulders as if he meant to push away at any moment.</p><p>A gentle squeeze to his hips pulls him into shelter, back into reality.</p><p>“Breathe,” Touma says in a soft whisper.</p><p>Haruka hadn’t realized he’d even stopped breathing from nerves, but the gentle reminder kick starts it again as he tries to take deep, even breaths.</p><p>Touma watches him silently, attentively, looking for any clear signs of discomfort that aren’t just bundles of nerves exploding all at once. He gives another gentle squeeze to Haruka’s hips; a question and comfort wrapped into one action this time.</p><p>“You okay?” He qualifies it with an actual question.</p><p>“Y-Yeah,” Haruka answers nervously, maybe a little too quickly.</p><p>Touma just offers a soft smile and does nothing else, waiting. Haruka takes another deep breath and, as the last of it leaves his lungs, begins to lean forward and down. Touma closes his eyes; Haruka doesn’t, not yet.</p><p>He doesn’t close his eyes until he feels their lips connecting, the contact causing him to breathe in reflexively through his nose while his body locks up, like an alert animal processing its fight or flight response.</p><p>Seconds, minutes pass into the kiss and Touma remains patient, hands still firmly on Haruka’s hips to ground him and Haruka’s hands still where they were before. Then, like a deflating balloon—or perhaps even a boiling teapot—the bundled pressure in his body releases along with the breath he’d been holding again. Haruka can feel himself relaxing, leaning his weight more firmly into Touma and allowing his hands to move up so that his arms could instead rest on the other’s shoulders. Touma takes this as a cue to move his own hands, one sliding up and around to rest on the small of Haruka’s back while the other rubs slowly up and down the length of his spine. All the while, their lips remain connected.</p><p>This feels…nice. Kissing is nice. Being held like this is nice. Having all of this done by and with <em>Touma</em> specifically is really nice.</p><p>Haruka finally leans back to break the kiss, but doesn’t go very far, resting his forehead against Touma’s before opening his eyes again. Warm maroon eyes gaze back at him and he feels his cheeks start to burn at the intensity.</p><p>“Again?” He asks, because that kiss was <em>really</em> nice and, well, they’re already here so why not have more?</p><p>“As many times as you want.”</p><p>Haruka swears he could almost cry from how patient and loving his boyfriend is, but he <em>won’t</em> because that would be <em>pathetic</em> and he doesn’t want to cause Touma distress. So instead he just leans in again for another kiss and relaxes into it much quicker this time, leaning into it more.</p><p>Touma’s lips are surprisingly soft against his own. In another moment of boldness, he opens his mouth and shyly pokes his tongue against the line of Touma’s lips; a suggestion. They part easily and willingly for him and the kiss deepens.</p><p>Haruka’s heard that’s how these things are supposed to go, supposed to progress. That this is what it means to really kiss someone. It’s not <em>bad</em>, he thinks, but… The inside of Touma’s mouth is wetter than he thought it’d be and when their tongues slide together it’s a weird combination of slimy and rough and—yeah okay nope he can’t do that. He breaks the kiss suddenly by leaning back with a small noise of distress and a shake of his head.</p><p>Touma doesn’t chase, doesn’t force him to stay in it, just watches Haruka with concern and waits, as usual, his hands remaining still on his back.</p><p>“Sorry,” he mutters into the space between them.</p><p>“You’re fine.”</p><p>And he is, after a moment, having recovered enough to go in for another kiss. His lips remain closed this time and so do Touma’s, the kiss remaining chaste by most people’s standards. Yeah, this… This feels nice. This feels right. This feels like how a kiss is supposed to be. Haruka sighs happily against Touma’s lips and leans more into it, letting his arms wrap fully around the other’s neck so his hands can play idly with his hair.</p><p>He can feel Touma smile into the kiss and the hand that had been rubbing his back resumes its course, slow and soothing. Haruka has, honestly, never felt safer in his life than he does in this moment. The realization makes him a little giddy in his comfort, and he breaks the current kiss in favor of peppering a series of shorter ones against Touma’s lips. Touma happily accepts them all.</p><p>“Love you.”</p><p>It slips out between the shorter kisses, a result of Haruka growing more and more comfortable. He can’t take it back either now that he’s said it, so he just pauses to stare at Touma who stares wide eyed back at him.</p><p>The shocked expression melts into happiness before he’s squeezed gently in Touma’s arms.</p><p>“Love you too.”</p><p>And that’s all the permission Haruka needs to resume kissing; sometimes long, sometimes short.</p><p>Touma doesn’t ask for anything more, doesn’t try to take anything by force either. He just lets Haruka take things at his own pace, in his own time.</p><p>Haruka, again, can’t believe how lucky he is, but he’s grateful all the same.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It might've gotten.....a little OOC there at the end, but you know what? I can have a little projection....as a treat....</p></blockquote></div></div>
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